Stay on target

With Aquaman,Shazam! and Wonder Woman 1984 all on the horizon, DC could have a particularly strong year ahead of it. It’s looking like that could be just the start too. The post-Justice League shake-up led to some genuinely interesting movies on the horizon. One of which is Birds of Prey, which will be centered on the only part of Suicide Squad that really worked: Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. The girl gang superhero movie will feature Harley Quinn, Black Canary, Huntress, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain. What we still don’t know is who will play the rest of the Birds of Prey. Now though, Warner Bros. is getting closer to making a decision.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is close to casting the rest of the main roles. They’ve narrowed it down to some pretty exciting choices too. Gugu Mbatha-Raw of Belle and A Wrinkle in Time is on the shortlist to play Black Canary, along with Jurnee Smolett-Bell and, reportedly, Janelle Monae. All would be amazing choices, and it’s a sign that the studio is looking to change things up for the movie. In the comics, Canary has generally been white, but Warner Bros. is looking to have a diverse cast. Each one of those actors could hold her own in a fight scene, which is what’s most important for Black Canary. Now, I wonder who has the best Canary Cry.

Warner Bros. is also reportedly considering Margaret Qualley, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Cristin Milioti for Huntress. If they decide to go with Winstead, it would be her second comic book movie role, though she’d likely get to do much more fighting here than she did in Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Justina Machado and Roberta Colindrez are said to have tested for the role of Renee Montoya. From the sounds of things, she’ll still be a Gotham City detective in this movie, rather than quitting the department disgusted with corruption as she does in the comics. She most likely will not have been mentored by The Question yet.

Another major difference is the role of Cassandra Cain. Warner Bros. hasn’t gotten quite as far in the casting process for her, but she’ll be very different from her comics counterpart. In the movie, she’ll be a 12-year-old girl who the Birds of Prey will team up to rescue. No word on if anyone’s tested for the role, but the studio reportedly wants to cast an Asian actor.

Birds of Prey is definitely a movie you’ll want to keep an eye on. It already has a great director in Cathy Yan, and it’s going to be amazing seeing all these women (whoever they end up casting) on screen together. The effort to hire a diverse cast is admirable too. It ensures that more women and girls than ever will be able to see a superhero who looks like them. That’s a big deal. It’s going to happen soon too. Birds of Prey is set to start filming in early 2019.

Birds of Prey isn’t the only upcoming DC movie offering something a little different. One of the studio’s projects we’re most curious about is the Joker origin movie starring Joaquin Phoenix. Another Joker-led movie centered on Jared Leto’s version is apparently still happening, but after this I’m not sure I’d want it to. Joker director Todd Philips shared the first image of Phoenix in full makeup on Instagram. The short video shows Phoenix both as a fairly normal-looking guy and as the supervillain we all fear. It’s a different look for the Clown Prince of Crime than you may be used to, but it’s so much better than the Leto version.

Even without the makeup, it’s unsettling. Like you know there’s something very wrong underneath that unassuming smile. It’s a much more effective way to establish the character than, say, writing the word “damaged” on his forehead. Then the makeup comes on, and it’s a much more circus-looking than we’re used to seeing from the character, but it works really well. This definitely would be The Joker’s first attempt at the clown gimmick, but it’s creepy and unsettling all the same.

I still say we don’t necessarily need a Joker origin movie, but this video at least shows they’re coming from the right place. Joker is set to hit theaters October 4, 2019. Guess we know what everyone’s Halloween costume will be next year.

Finally, some more casting news comes at us from Warner Bros.’ new streaming service, DC Universe. Though the first original series to debut on the network is the decidedly dark Titans, it appears not all shows will share that tone. Stargirl is coming to the streaming service to bring some warmth and kindness to the DC Universe. Deadlinereports that the series found its lead actor this week. Brec Bassinger, who stars in the Nickelodeon series Bella and the Bulldogs.

Stargirl creator Geoff Johns, who executive produces the series, explained why Bassinger is perfect for the role. “Brec’s warmth, strength, humor and positive energy are core to who Courtney Whitmore is. I’m so grateful she’s signed on for the role.”

The series will follow Courtney, a high school girl who finds out her new stepdad used to be a superhero sidekick. She finds a strange artifact belonging to a long lost superhero and becomes one herself. Tonally, she’s about as far away from Titans’ Robin as you can get. She’s not brooding, she’s warm and enthusiastic and kind. There’s no release date yet, but it sounds like whenever the first episode, written by Johns, arrives it’ll be exactly what DC Universe needs.